The influence of CSR on employer attractiveness and application for the millennial generation

: a case study on BMW

Abstract

The car industry has suffered from severe scandals in the past decade. The most recent andstriking scandal was the Volkswagen emissions affair in 2015, that resulted in reputationaldamages for the entire industry. Ensuing consequences are manifold, but potentially mostdetrimental in the area of employee attraction, as firms operating in high-competitiveenvironments face an increasing challenge of acquiring a sufficient number of talentedemployees. CSR can provide a competitive advantage in corporate reputation and employeeattractiveness, as millennials, the current generation entering the workforce, are ever moresocially and environmentally conscious. This thesis aims at understanding how CSR caninfluence the application process and employer decision of millennials, investigated by thecase of BMW, one of the foremost CSR-conscious companies in the car industry. Findingsbased on an extensive empirical analysis of students about to enter the workforce suggest thatCSR has a significant effect on employer attractiveness and likelihood of application.However, BMW focuses only on promoting its internal CSR strategies and should thereforeadapt its communication content to potential employees in order to attract millennials andfurther guarantee their competitive advantage within the industry.

Date of Award	28 Jul 2017
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Bianca Soraya Soares Vilhena de Mendonça (Supervisor)